Director of institute: de heer drs. E.J.H.P. Goossens

The Photo Database of Huis Doorn allows access to photographs from the collection of the late German Emperor Wilhelm II (1859-1941). Since 2007, the 12,000 photos from the collection are being digitalized. So far, only 5500 have been processed, but more photos are added regularly. For a fee it is possible to download or print photos for personal use.

The Collection
The majority of Huis Doorn's photo collection is part of the inventory of German Emperor Wilhelm II. After his escape and abdication in November 1918, he had the collection shipped from his castles in Berlin and Potsdam to Doorn in 59 railwaycars. It consists of appr. 200 albums, including 100 luxury albums, loose and framed photos, some daguerreotypes, 250 photo plates and many autochromes.

This unique collection can be divided roughly into three categories. A very unique collection dates from World War I, which was annotated shortly after the war and collected in 23 binders. These 2,400 photos form a chronological pictorial report of the Emperor's activities, including his visits to the Western and Eastern front - albeit in safe distance from the frontlines.

After the Emperor's death in 1941, a small part of the collection was taken to Germany. Since 1953, the remaining part is managed as part of the museum collection by the trust ‘Stichting tot beheer van Huis Doorn’, or Foundation for the Management of Huis Doorn.